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As you travel around New Zealand you will find locals eating the most peculiar sounding things. Chocolate fish anyone?

Professional football did not exist six months ago in Wellington. But with the arrival of the Wellington Phoenix Football Club, all that has changed.

In New Zealand, Christmas is combined with summer holidays, so as well as present-buying and parties, families are preparing for trips to the beach.

If you are talking about a 100m long silver fern on a Californian beach, a flooded Fox Studio in Sydney, or a giant inflatable rugby ball under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, you’re probably talking about the work of Inside Out Productions, one of New Zealand's most innovative production companies.

Those lucky enough to dine inside New Zealand's giant rugby ball in Paris will be treated to a menu designed by supremo chef Peter Gordon.

New Zealand’s most popular annual rugby events, the NZI Sevens World Series.

Classic examples of Kiwi ingenuity and entrepreneurism.

A selection of quirky and not so quirky New Zealand facts.

New Zealanders are passionate about a wide variety of sports; from the more relaxed pursuits of golf to the extreme adventure activities of whitewater rafting and mountain biking.

New Zealand is quickly gaining a reputation for producing world class wine.